College sports are entrenched with rich tradition and legacies. Wooden, Knight, Rupp, Krzyzewski, Olson ... and Izzo. Expectations are sky-high this year. However, I hope the Spartan Nation doesn't lose sight of just how special this week is. We're back. We're back in the Sweet 16!
Saturday night, fourth-seeded Michigan State defeated the twelfth-seeded Harvard Crimson sending Tom Izzo to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the twelfth time in his nineteen year career as the coach for the Spartans. 12 out of 19. Casual sports fans may not fully comprehend that statistic. They may bring their watered-down NBA perspective of postseason play to the conversation and assume that any team worth it's salt should be in the Sweet 16 most of the time. Michigan State is one of the Top 10 programs in the country. Why celebrate being top 16? Obviously top programs should always end up in the Sweet 16 right? It just means you're in the top 16.
In the words of Dwight Schrute ... "False."
The Sweet 16 is not an entitlement. It is not assumed. Let's take a look at some of the programs notoriously considered the best in the game and how many see how they hold up to this metric.
Rock Chalk, Jay Hawk, K-U. The home of the original rules to the game of basketball. The tradition, the chant, the home of the Kansas University Jay Hawks. They come in at the most impressive, 13, (Plus whatever happens if they win Sunday). I've got a lot of respect for that.
Kentucky, the all-time-winningest program in NCAA history is the Kingpin. The rafters in Rupp Arena are clad with banners from over eight different NCAA Championships. The Wildcats have been to the Sweet 16 twelve times (13 if they go on to win on Sunday).
Then let's go pouring some salt in a fresh wound. Duke. After just losing to Mercer in the round of 64, let's analyze a program that I have shear respect for. This is a hall of fame coach, who has coached Lebron James and the greatest NBA players in the world to two consecutive Olympic titles, while still coaching at Duke. In the past 19 years, Duke has been to the Sweet Sixteen 11 times.
Their tobacco road rivals, the alma mater of the Michael Jordan. The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the great storied programs. They've been to the Sweet 16 ten times (11 if they go on to win on Sunday).
UCLA. The house that Wooden built. How many Izzo-era Sweet 16's have they attended? 8.
Indiana. The Indiana Hoosiers. How many Sweet Sixteens since the Izzo-era? Three. That's right. Three. You heard that correct. Three.
And just for fun. How did Ann Arbor stack up in the Izzo era? Two. Two total appearances. For all the general studies majors out there, that is 6 times less than what your "little brother" has done in the same time. Although, credit where credit is due, I think John Beilein has a great squad this year that is poised to make a deep run and they looked great against what I assumed was a mismatch on the interior with the Longhorns. There'd be no sweeter encore then a B1G rematch in the NCAA championship of the Wolverines vs. Spartans. Crazier things have happened.
Comparing success is kind of a loser's game. However, like many Spartans this year, I struggled with the concept that we were selected by everyone from the POTUS Barack Obama to the screaming Dick Vitale (It's Awwwwsum BayBee!) as that popular, not-quite-chalk, but still safe bet to win it all.
Traditionally, we relish the chip on our shoulder. We crave the us-against-the-world-mentality. We should be flattered. We should own it. We've been there, and if anyone can get the players to turn off their cell-phones and twitter, and focus in on the task at hand, it's Izzo. This is a man who rarely gets caught looking past an opponent in March.
Tom Izzo has had a rough year. It's wearing on him. Internet trolls and twitter cry-babies have a much louder voice now than they did in 1995. In a press-conference this week, he referenced in regards to winning and fan approval that "two weeks ago [he] wasn't the most popular guy in [East Lansing] either. It's just the way it is. It's the way it works."
But Tom, take it from this blogger, and the majority of the fan base that doesn't run for a keyboard every time we get a number on the right hand side of the hyphen, we appreciate you. Jud got us into the party, but you put us square at the table of the V.I.P. Enjoy this next week of hype and celebration of what you and this team have accomplished. We know we will.
